Class 4A State Tourney: All-Tournament Teams
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Going into Saturday’s Class 4A State Championship game, the season series between Hopkins and Minnetonka was split at one win apiece. The time had come to settle the score. Things got off to an even start with neither team gaining…
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Continue ReadingGoing into Saturday’s Class 4A State Championship game, the season series between Hopkins and Minnetonka was split at one win apiece. The time had come to settle the score. Things got off to an even start with neither team gaining a significant edge. Minnetonka star Aaliyah Crump Aaliyah Crump 6'1" | SF Minnetonka | 2025 State MN put up 7 early points, and Hopkins junior Lauren Hillesheim Lauren Hillesheim 5'10" | SG Hopkins | 2025 State MN had 9. A Hopkins cold spell that lasted over three minutes tipped the scales in Tonka’s favor for the remainder of the half and the Skippers led the Royals 39-30 at the break.
The lead for the Skippers grew to as much at 14 points with 7 minutes remaining in the contest, but the Royals were not going to be put to bed easily. Big buckets from Hillesheim, McGill, and freshman Erma Walker Erma Walker 6'0" | PF Hopkins | 2027 State MN sent Hopkins on a 10-0 scoring run, leaving the Royals with a deficit of just 2 point with under three minutes to play. When Crump, Minnetonka’s leading scorer, fouled out of the contest with two minutes remaining, the Skippers were up 5. A layup by London Harris London Harris 5'9" | CG Hopkins | 2025 State MN put the Royals within 3 points.
With 20 seconds remaining in the game, the Skippers were set to inbound the ball with just 3 seconds showing on the shot clock. A missed 3-pointer sent the ball into the hands of Minnetonka senior Cece Nesseth Cece Nesseth 6'0" | PF Minnetonka | 2024 State MN who scored an and-one on the put-back, just as the shot clock ran out. A blocked shot on the other end by Tori McKinney Tori McKinney 6'1" | CG Minnetonka | 2024 State MN sealed the deal for Minnetonka as the Skippers prevailed 64-56 to take home the hardware.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS
Aaliyah Crump Aaliyah Crump 6'1" | SF Minnetonka | 2025 State MN & Tori McKinney Tori McKinney 6'1" | CG Minnetonka | 2024 State MN – Minnetonka
We had a hard time deciding who most deserved our Prep Girls Hoops Class 4A Most Valuable Player recognition – Crump or McKinney. In the end the only obvious choice was to give it to both. Crump has had an illustrious high school career to date. She is a 5-star recruit, currently ranked 1st by Prep Girls Hoops in Minnesota’s Class of 2025. Aaliyah is 6th in ESPN’s national rankings among American juniors. She won a gold medal with Team USA last summer at the 2023 FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Mexico. In 2022, she participated in the U17 National Team Trials at just 15 years old. She totaled 81 points over three games in the State Tournament, and now she has a state championship to add to her resume.
McKinney is just as deserving of the honor. A top 5 prospect in Minnesota’s 2024 class, Tori is widely regarded as the state’s most elite defender. Her length and athleticism are tremendous attributes, but at the end of the day defense is about energy and effort, and nobody in the state is more committed to defensive excellence than McKinney. She will play college ball at the University of Minnesota next season on the same home floor where she led the Skippers to their first state championship in eight seasons.
BREAKOUT PERFORMER
Erma Walker Erma Walker 6'0" | PF Hopkins | 2027 State MN – 2027 forward, Hopkins
Unlike our MVP honors for Class 4A, the Breakout Performer award was a relative no-brainer. The Hopkins freshman was nothing short of dominant in the State Tournament. In every contest, she owned the paint, using her size and strength to back opponents down and score. Her best performance came in Thursday’s semifinal matchup against Maple Grove. Erma put up 30 points and grabbed 9 boards, made 14 of 16 shots from the field and went 2-for-3 at the free throw line.
Walker’s growth over the course of the season has been amazing to watch. She had big shoes to fill in the front court after the graduations of Nuna Agara (Stanford) and Taylor Woodson (Michigan), but Erma has done remarkably well in that pursuit, belying her status as a 9th grader. Things are going to look a bit different for Hopkins next season with the graduation of senior point guard Liv McGill Liv McGill 5'7" | CG Hopkins | 2024 State MN , but one thing that won’t change is the presence that Walker brings in the paint.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS
Please note: When making selections for the Prep Girls Hoops All-Tournament Teams, only performance in games played in the main draw is considered. We did not watch any consolation games.
1st Team
Aaliyah Crump Aaliyah Crump 6'1" | SF Minnetonka | 2025 State MN – 2025 guard, Minnetonka
Erma Walker Erma Walker 6'0" | PF Hopkins | 2027 State MN – 2027 forward, Hopkins
Jordan Ode Jordan Ode 5'11" | CG Maple Grove | 2025 State MN – 2025 guard/wing, Maple Grove (Michigan State)
Liv McGill Liv McGill 5'7" | CG Hopkins | 2024 State MN – 2024 guard, Hopkins (Florida)
Tori McKinney Tori McKinney 6'1" | CG Minnetonka | 2024 State MN – 2024 guard, Minnetonka (Minnesota)
2nd Team
Ava Cossette Ava Cossette 5'10" | CG Maple Grove | 2024 State MN – 2024 guard, Maple Grove (South Dakota)
Claire Stern Claire Stern 6'0" | SF Maple Grove | 2024 State MN – 2024 wing, Maple Grove (North Dakota State)
Ja’Kahla Craft Ja’Kahla Craft 5'9" | CG STMA | 2024 State MN – 2024 guard, St. Michael-Albertville (Seton Hall)
Lauren Hillesheim Lauren Hillesheim 5'10" | SG Hopkins | 2025 State MN – 2025 guard/forward, Hopkins
Trinity Wilson Trinity Wilson 6'3" | PF Lakeville North | 2024 State MN – 2024 post, Lakeville North (Vanderbilt)
Honorable Mentions
- Amisha Ramlall Amisha Ramlall 5'11" | CG Rosemount | 2027 State MN – 2027 guard, Rosemount
- Avery Moeller Avery Moeller 5'10" | CG Rosemount | 2024 State MN – 2024 guard, Rosemount (Winona State)
- Gabby Betton Gabby Betton 5'9" | CG Lakeville North | 2024 State MN – 2024 guard, Lakeville North (Loyola Maryland)
- Cail Jahnke Cail Jahnke 6'2" | CG St. Michael-Albertville | 2026 State MN – 2026 guard, St. Michael-Albertville
- Cece Nesseth Cece Nesseth 6'0" | PF Minnetonka | 2024 State MN – 2024 forward, Minnetonka
- Elayna Boe Elayna Boe 6'0" | SG Lakeville North | 2025 State MN – 2025 guard, Lakeville North
- Emma Frost Emma Frost 5'11" | SF Andover | 2024 State MN – 2024 forward, Andover (Wayne State)
- Jordyn Schmittdiel Jordyn Schmittdiel 5'11" | SF White Bear Lake | 2024 State MN – 2024 forward, White Bear Lake (Northern Michigan)
- Lanelle Wright Lanelle Wright 5'8" | PG Minnetonka | 2026 State MN – 2026 guard, Minnetonka
- Tatum Woodson Tatum Woodson 5'9" | CG Hopkins | 2025 State MN – 2025 guard, Hopkins
PGH scout Ally McGinnis contributed to this content.